Although scientific wisdom teaches us that we acquire plenty of hereditary traits from our parents, it's actually quite rare for a first-class footballer to pass down their ability to their offspring. 

It's not unheard of by any means, but it's not as common as the prevalence of siblings in elite level football. 

In the Premier League, for example, there have been 46 different pairs of brothers to have both appeared in England's top flight, but there are only 17 father and son combinations in the history of the division. 

But who exactly are the fathers who passed on their footballing gifts to their children?

Here, GIVEMESPORT round up all 17 father and son combinations to have made at least one appearance each in the Premier League. 

Take a look below...

17. Alvin & David Martin (50 combined appearances) 

David Martin was left in tears after a heroic West Ham United debut earned his side three points in a 1-0 win at Chelsea in November 2019.

He celebrated in the stands with his father, Alvin, who made 45 appearances in the Premier League.

16. Paul & Darnell Furlong (81 appearances) 

Darnell Furlong has been a regular for West Bromwich Albion this season and, at 24 years of age, looks set to carry the Furlongs higher up this list in the coming years.

15. Jimmy & Nathaniel Phillips (100 appearances) 

Liverpool's shortage of central defenders recently forced Jurgen Klopp to hand Nathaniel Phillips his top flight debut, which put his family name into 15th with 100 appearances in total.

14. Gordon & Gavin Strachan (109 appearances)

Gordon Strachan is no stranger to footballing audiences following a solid career as both a player and manager, but his son Gavin mustered just 13 of the pairing's 109 total appearances.

13. Bryan & Angus Gunn (126 appearances) 

Just like his father, Bryan, Angus Gunn has forged his career in football between the sticks.

12. David & George Hirst (137 appearances)

George Hirst, who is currently on loan at Rotherham from Leicester City, has also followed in his father's footsteps by playing at centre-forward.

11. Gus & Diego Poyet (189 appearances)

Diego Poyet retired from football at the age of just 23, while Gus is currently a free agent and being touted as a candidate for the vacant Sheffield Wednesday job.

10. Steve & Alex Bruce (195 appearances)

Arguably a beneficiary of nepotism during his time at Hull City, Alex had the benefit of playing under his father's tutelage in the top flight. 

All 48 of his appearances arrived by virtue of Steve's selection policy. We're sensing a pattern.

9. Steve & Dan Potts (204 appearances)

Dan Potts, 26, could still add to this tally but he's spent the majority of his career in the Championship with Luton Town. 

8. Ian & Bradley Wright-Phillips (219 appearances)

Bradley Wright-Phillips made just 32 Premier League appearances before realising his own American dream across the Atlantic. 

7. Rob & Elliot Lee (282 appearances)

The Lee clan scrape onto this list by virtue of Elliot's 15 minutes of football in two separate outings. 

6. Alan & Jack Cork (310 appearances)

One of just two sons on this list to make more appearances than their father, Jack Cork has 264 appearances under his belt in what has been a solid if not relatively middle of the road career.

5. Kevin & Tyrese Campbell (329 appearances)

Tyrese Campbell has played just four times in the top flight thus far but the level of promise he has shown at Stoke City suggests he will add to that.

At just 21 years of age, Campbell has impressed with six goals and seven assists in 16 Championship appearances so far this season.

4. Paul & Tom Ince (354 appearances)

With just 48 top flight outings to his name, Tom Ince has failed to match the standard set by his incredibly successful father. 

3. Rory & Liam Delap (360 appearances)

The Delap family are one of the more intriguing entries on the list.

Rory has become a cult figure for his throw-in routine at Stoke City, which included towel drying and a significant run up, but his son is breaking through at Man City as a goal hungry centre forward. 

The 17-year-old has been clinical at youth level but looked a touch out of his depth in City's 5-2 defeat against Leicester City earlier this season. 

With time and patience, though, he may well carve out a fine career at the top level. 

2. Ian Wright & Shaun Wright-Phillips (528 appearances)

The second son to have appeared more times than his father is Shaun Wright-Phillips, who broke through at Man City before struggling to replicate his early promise at Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers.

He may have played more games than Ian, but his father's legacy glows much brighter.

1. Peter & Kasper Schmeichel (535 appearances)

At the top of the pile with a total number of appearances that's bound to keep growing is the Schmeichels. 

Peter's starfish style of shot stopping is clearly something of a family tradition, with Kasper adopting a similar technique to excellent effect throughout his career. Or perhaps Kasper is just a reincarnation of Peter. Take your pick.

Can the 34-year-old Kasper (225 appearances) surpass his father's total of 310 outings?

Given the longevity of goalkeepers and his consistently excellent form for the Foxes, it would be a surprise if he failed to do so.